- Joined
- Aug 5, 2007
- Messages
- 3,084
- Reaction score
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Dudes/Dudettes:
Advice forthcoming...
(1) Log your cases early (daily is best). This will really screw you up, if you don't keep up with it. You'll lose cases if you try to log them even a month later. Trust me.
(2) Listen, look, learn (obvious) and take a lot of notes. Get some 4x6 cards and when you do a case write the attending surgeons name at the top, the type of case (eg. a shoulder arthroscopy) and what their preference is for that case. If you show up and have everything good to go, you will get noticed positively. Having the surgeon on your side is gold.
(3) Demand specifics. I mean this in all aspects of your residency. When some attending tells you "this is the only way to do this", ask them to justify it. What else have they tried? What about other ways? Don't settle for absolutism. There are many ways to climb a mountain. Likewise, if someone gives you performance feedback, tell them to give you specific information about what you did well and how, and what you could've done better and how. Don't settle for "you're a nice guy/gal and you did good" or "your performance wasn't up to par." Make them tell you (a) how it was above/below average, (b) what you could've done better, and (c) a plan for continuing/improving your performance (eg., reading, practice in the sim lab, etc.). Review your daily performance evaluations and sign them that day, with comments included as to whether or not you agree to their assessment and why. Be diplomatic.
(4) Manage your time, manage your attendings. Start studying for the boards early, early, early. You cannot start early enough. Your ISTE scores matter to the program, despite what anyone might tell you. You need to show steady improvement throughout your residency, or you're going to be doing a lot of explaining to your PD... and you will be playing a lot of catch-up at the end trying to master the partition coeffecients of enflurane. With regards to your attendings, make them teach you. You'll quickly figure out who are going to be the best people to get info from, and just start asking them a lot of questions everytime you work with them. Likewise, you're likely to identify (as MilMD calls them) a few "assassins" in your program. Interfere with their ability to screw up the case to the best of your ability, especially as you get more senior. Manage your attendings.
(5) Nip conflict in-the-bud early on. Again, demand specifics if someone files a complaint, which (if you are even a teenie-tiny bit controversial, like myself) will inevitably happen. Learn how to effectively manage other people. Don't b*tch out loud in front of people. This will only make enemies and turn people off. If someone complains about you formally in writing, take your time when you read their complaint and stay cool. Respond in writing, and use email as your documentation tool. If you notice something problematic with a particular nurse who is immediately nasty or whatever the first time you meet him/her, email your program director and the unit head nurse pre-emptively. That way if the person subsequently complains about you, the effect will be diluted if you've pre-emptively put management on notice. WARNING: You cannot cry wolf. This will not work if you email concerns about every single nurse on a unit. You will be seen only as a cry-baby and complainer who can't work as a team-player. Save this tactic for the nurse/ancillary person who is notoriously a resident-buster and that everyone has forewarned you about. If you use this tactic, it's amazing how effective it is when you look that trouble maker in the face and tell them off.
(6) Give your program feedback. Most programs, believe it or not, want to do better by the residents. They can't (or won't) always accomodate all requests, but if the residents are cohesive and unified as a group, and present reasonable requests, then usually the program will work to accomodate them. The key is to have good solidarity with your residents. You guys are in it together, and you should work towards being each other's best friends. If you have that solidarity, and you notice negative things (or positive things), tell your program and they will probably work towards helping you guys out. If you are not perceived as being cohesive, it'll be easier to take advantage of you and ignore your complaints/suggestions.
That's about it. The big stuff. I'm pretty much checked-out by now. Probably will be spending a lot less time on this forum as I get ready for the August written boards. But, will check in from time to time. Good luck to everyone.
-copro
Advice forthcoming...
(1) Log your cases early (daily is best). This will really screw you up, if you don't keep up with it. You'll lose cases if you try to log them even a month later. Trust me.
(2) Listen, look, learn (obvious) and take a lot of notes. Get some 4x6 cards and when you do a case write the attending surgeons name at the top, the type of case (eg. a shoulder arthroscopy) and what their preference is for that case. If you show up and have everything good to go, you will get noticed positively. Having the surgeon on your side is gold.
(3) Demand specifics. I mean this in all aspects of your residency. When some attending tells you "this is the only way to do this", ask them to justify it. What else have they tried? What about other ways? Don't settle for absolutism. There are many ways to climb a mountain. Likewise, if someone gives you performance feedback, tell them to give you specific information about what you did well and how, and what you could've done better and how. Don't settle for "you're a nice guy/gal and you did good" or "your performance wasn't up to par." Make them tell you (a) how it was above/below average, (b) what you could've done better, and (c) a plan for continuing/improving your performance (eg., reading, practice in the sim lab, etc.). Review your daily performance evaluations and sign them that day, with comments included as to whether or not you agree to their assessment and why. Be diplomatic.
(4) Manage your time, manage your attendings. Start studying for the boards early, early, early. You cannot start early enough. Your ISTE scores matter to the program, despite what anyone might tell you. You need to show steady improvement throughout your residency, or you're going to be doing a lot of explaining to your PD... and you will be playing a lot of catch-up at the end trying to master the partition coeffecients of enflurane. With regards to your attendings, make them teach you. You'll quickly figure out who are going to be the best people to get info from, and just start asking them a lot of questions everytime you work with them. Likewise, you're likely to identify (as MilMD calls them) a few "assassins" in your program. Interfere with their ability to screw up the case to the best of your ability, especially as you get more senior. Manage your attendings.
(5) Nip conflict in-the-bud early on. Again, demand specifics if someone files a complaint, which (if you are even a teenie-tiny bit controversial, like myself) will inevitably happen. Learn how to effectively manage other people. Don't b*tch out loud in front of people. This will only make enemies and turn people off. If someone complains about you formally in writing, take your time when you read their complaint and stay cool. Respond in writing, and use email as your documentation tool. If you notice something problematic with a particular nurse who is immediately nasty or whatever the first time you meet him/her, email your program director and the unit head nurse pre-emptively. That way if the person subsequently complains about you, the effect will be diluted if you've pre-emptively put management on notice. WARNING: You cannot cry wolf. This will not work if you email concerns about every single nurse on a unit. You will be seen only as a cry-baby and complainer who can't work as a team-player. Save this tactic for the nurse/ancillary person who is notoriously a resident-buster and that everyone has forewarned you about. If you use this tactic, it's amazing how effective it is when you look that trouble maker in the face and tell them off.
(6) Give your program feedback. Most programs, believe it or not, want to do better by the residents. They can't (or won't) always accomodate all requests, but if the residents are cohesive and unified as a group, and present reasonable requests, then usually the program will work to accomodate them. The key is to have good solidarity with your residents. You guys are in it together, and you should work towards being each other's best friends. If you have that solidarity, and you notice negative things (or positive things), tell your program and they will probably work towards helping you guys out. If you are not perceived as being cohesive, it'll be easier to take advantage of you and ignore your complaints/suggestions.
That's about it. The big stuff. I'm pretty much checked-out by now. Probably will be spending a lot less time on this forum as I get ready for the August written boards. But, will check in from time to time. Good luck to everyone.
-copro
